Stories about the Class of 2026 | Matthew Salyn, Bachelor of Recreation Management and Community Development.
When Matthew Salyn first started university, he was in a completely different program and felt so disconnected that he almost dropped out. Everything changed when an advisor in the First Year Centre suggested he look into the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management. Here he found the Bachleor of Recreation Management and Community Developmenbt degree, which turned out to be the perfect match for his personality and love for people.
"To me, being a part of FKRM means being part of a community. It means I always "know" someone, whether it's when I need help, someone I know needs help, or I just want to learn something new," Salyn says. "There's always someone to reach out to about literally anything. I am a piece of a much larger puzzle that supports one another... [Ending up] here has had a massive impact on who I am.”
For Salyn, his time in the faculty was defined by hands-on opportunities that went far beyond textbooks. He loved working in fast-paced environments and found that his classes prepared him perfectly for the workplace.
“Practical. I feel everything I've done in the faculty has built towards something much larger. I'm prepared to take on a lot, and throughout my entire degree I have constantly found opportunities outside of the classroom,” he says.
Salyn saw early on a “reciprocal” cycle of learning between the faculty and students that made him feel welcomed.
“As much as students are learning and getting a degree, the faculty and staff are also learning and listening to students,” he says. “Working to develop a curriculum that builds healthy communities and professionals ready to constantly improve the world."
“Being a part of FKRM means being part of a community,” says Salyn.
Finding his place in the puzzle was one of the most exciting parts of his studies. Salyn participated in a joint geology and recreation course, REC/GEOG 4350: Parks and Protected Areas Planning and Management. The course had twelve students spend two weeks in Banff National Park completing research on behalf of Parks Canada. The group collected feedback from visitors on many aspects of their experience.
“Doing research for a national organization while meeting new people, adventuring and learning about the history of parks and protected areas was a full experiential learning moment,” says Salyn.
He says as one of the only Rec students in the course, he quickly became the "expert" in many of the community and qualitative aspects of the study, whereas the other students focused on environmental impacts.
“Taking knowledge from the classroom and applying it to potentially transformative policies in parks was an empowering moment," he says.
Experiences like the Parks and Protected Areas course and his fieldwork placement with the 2025 Grey Cup festival helped reaffirm Salyn was in the right field.
Each new experience opened doors he says he wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise. The network and hands-on experience he’s gained has been invaluable as he continues to find new ways to put his knowledge into action. As the Volunteer and Accreditation Assistant for the 2025 Grey Cup Festival, he put what he'd learned in class projects to work in the real world.
"Being a part of one of Canada's most recognizable national events introduced me to a new network of people, gave me hands-on experience and has opened a door of further opportunities," he says. "This experience was well beyond what I could have done without support from the faculty."
Now that he has finished his studies, Salyn has already set off on a 10-week journey to travel and see the world. He plans to use this adventure to learn how different cultures connect, so he can bring fresh ideas to his future career in large-scale festivals.
"I hope to continue a lot of the work I already do within events and festivals, most likely finding the next large event to play a role in," Salyn says. "I just left for at least 10 weeks of travel. This experience will give me an even better vision of how different communities interact and develop. I hope to apply it in the future and when working on events and festivals, bring a new perspective to some of the things that seem mundane.”
UM Bisons are at the centre of it all, making a difference here in Manitoba and around the world. Many graduates recognized at Convocation will stay in Manitoba, supplying high-demand skills to the labour market and contributing to UM’s economic impact on our community.
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